What are the best wedding traditions?

Guest post by Blake Miller:

 ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ is a wedding tradition that originated in Victorian England and is still practised today. Alongside this ritual, many Western brides also toss their bouquets over their shoulders on the big day to confirm which wedding guest is likely to get married next.

short and slimline dresses are easier to pack for travelling
The pale blue wedding I made for Isabelle hits the mark for ‘something new’ and ‘something blue’ at the same time!
Photo by Miranda Virgo 
The pale blue wedding I made for Isabelle hits the mark for ‘something new’ and ‘something blue’ at the same time!
Photo by Miranda Virgo 

But in a world filled up with 7.9 billion people in 195 countries, there are plenty more wedding traditions you might not know about. Some are extraordinarily beautiful and some are downright crazy, but all stem from religious, cultural or folklore tales that symbolise love, luck and happiness.

1.) Rocks aren’t just for diamonds in Australia

It was early Australian settlers that started the tradition of a wedding stone ceremony. With little money to spend on glamorous rings, newlyweds would instead each throw a stone into a flowing river to symbolise their commitment. This time-honoured tradition is still practised today along with the ritual of a unity bowl, which guests fill with colourful stones that represent the qualities of both the bride and groom. The unity bowl is then taken home by the couple to symbolise the support and love of friends and family.

2.) A smashing time in Greece

At a traditional Greek wedding, spirited guests take part in the custom of smashing china and glass. This dramatic ritual is known as breaking plates and it represents both new beginnings and the warding off of evil spirits. Although not as common as it used to be, we still love the idea of this unique and slightly crazy custom.

3.) Spanish brides go all in black

Historically, Spanish brides wear black lace wedding gowns and veils called mantillas on their big day. Black gowns and mantillas signify a bride’s devotion to her husband until death parts them. Mainly practised in the Roman Catholic Church, it’s a rather quixotic wedding tradition that honours loyalty and love.

4.) Extraordinary Indian inking

In India, brides-to-be spend the evening before their wedding having elaborately detailed henna patterns inked onto their hands and feet. Known as mehndi, this extremely important Indian tradition symbolises spiritual awakening, good health and prosperity and it’s thought that the darker the henna stain, the stronger the bond between man and wife will be.

5.) Making money in Cuba

The traditional Cuban money dance sees every male guest that dances with the bride pin money to her gown to help with honeymoon expenses. This opulent wedding tradition is a display of affection and good fortune and is also common in Greece and Poland.

6.) Single ladies honoured in Peru

Offering a sweet treat for the single ladies, in Peru, a traditional wedding cake is laced with ribbons. In a ritual known as the cake pull, all the single ladies choose a ribbon end to pull out. A different take on the wedding bouquet toss, the guest who pulls out the ribbon that has a small charm or ring attached to it is the lady who is supposed to be the next to marry.

Wedding traditions give guests and newlyweds a chance to look forward to magical moments that preserve cultural, religious and family rituals that often permeate through generations. Whilst you can opt-in or out of such traditions, it’s always fun to know, after some 23,000 years of marriage ceremonies, how people choose to celebrate around the world.

I love brides who want to forge their own traditions taking inspiration from history and around the world, please do get in touch if you would like a bespoke wedding dress to compliment your plans

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Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

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Since 1753, when the Marriage Act first came into existence, UK marriage law has come a long way. Some things have taken much longer than they should have (I'm looking at you, 1991 and 2013, 2023). But there's still more than can be done. The association of @independentcelebrants is campaigning for the UK government to follow the recommendations of the 2022 wedding law reform report.

"At least 10,000 wedding ceremonies a year in England and Wales are led by independent celebrants. These ceremonies are perfectly legal to hold, but as it stands a celebrant cannot perform a legally binding marriage – that part must be done separately, meaning added inconvenience and cost for couples."

I'm all about supporting couples to have the wedding day of their dream, and that rarely includes having to find time and money to go to the registry office.

If you want to help with this, then you can spread awareness! Share this post, or make your own. Talk about it with friends and family. And once you've done that, you can always get in touch with your local MP. The Independent Celebrants website has a PDF guide to help you with how to go about doing that.

Is this an issue you're aware of? Is there anything I've missed out?

#ChangeWeddingLaw #SpeakUpForCelebrants #LegaliseCelebrantWeddings
I created this Regency-inspired wedding dress for a Bridgerton themed wedding shoot. I used modern fabrics like tulle, beaded lace and shantung, but with period accurate details like the empire line waist, square neckline and boned stays (corset). ⁠
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I love to work with versality when it comes to my creations, so the dress was designed with multiple layers; the main dress has an embroidered tulle bodice and asymmetric beaded lace skirt. A lilac and pink dip-dyed tulle skirt can be added over the floral train of the main dress for some dreamy ombre magic. A lilac silk dupion 'spencer jacket' with hand appliqued beaded lace completes the ensemble. ⁠

 All these options make it possible to have lots of different looks throughout your wedding day. ⁠

Which Bridgerton character can you imagine wearing this outfit?

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#regencyweddingdress #bridgerton #historicalweddingdress #periodwedding #colouredweddingdress #dipdyeweddingdress #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker #vintagebride #romanticbride #weddingveil #purpleweddingdress #bespokeweddingdress #fantasyballgown
Now and again I'll take one of the wedding dresses I've made, and break down some of the elements. So, if there's something you love about a dress, but you don't know the 'proper words' to reference them, hopefully this will help you out.⁠
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This beautiful 1950’s style wedding dress with delicate cream lace over golden-orange silk has lots of really scrummy details:⁠
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🧡 the opening at the back of the dress is called a keyhole (or you could call this a slit opening). This one is closed at the top with three covered buttons.⁠
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🧡 the base dress is made of a beautiful russet orange silk dupion, with dark ivory lace layered on top.⁠
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🧡 the base dress is essentially a halter neck, with a turn over collar at the front, with the ivory layer providing semi-sheer, full length sleeves.⁠
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🧡 the edges of the ivory layer are cut along the floral pattern of the lace, making a pretty scalloped edge.⁠
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🧡 this length of skirt is called 'ballet' or 'ballerina'.⁠
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🧡 the front of the dress has a line of false buttons (buttons that are just there for decoration), that match the buttons at the back.⁠
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Those are just some of the details of this dress. If you have any questions about anything else, just leave a comment. I could talk dress making all day!⁠
On my birthday, 43 years ago, I was gifted a beautiful name...does it suit me?

Felicity means "happiness", from the Latin word meaning "good luck" or "fortune". Shortening to Fliss is good, but never Flick!

What about your name? Does it have a meaning?
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in
from design to completionbespoke wedding dressesFelicity Westmacott
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in